Gravity
by Impulse5
Summary: Now Complete! Including the missing chapter of Jesse and Lexa's date!
1. Ch 1

* * * Small Subarb from the City* * *  
  
Lexa, Shalimar, and Brennan walked into the small diner. They had been in the small town for almost an hour searching everywhere for this special "mutant" that some government agency was after. The Dominion didn't give them a name, specific location, even age or gender. This was the second time the Dominion withheld the information, making Shalimar and Brennan angry since their last "personal" encounter with the Dominion.   
  
The diner that they walked into was less than flattering, the tables looked like they hadn't been cleaned in years. Maybe a towel off now and then, and Lexa noticed that the Health Inspection License was expired. She grimaced and under only Brennan's stern glare did she sit down at a booth. Shalimar and Brennan sat at the same side, his arm behind her head. Lexa sat alone at the booth, 'like always' she thought. After few minutes of waiting, a waitress came by.   
  
She was barely fifteen, her long brown hair was tied back and spilling around her shoulders still. Her blue eyes traveled their faces in skepticism, 'they're probably not used to visitors' Shalimar observed. The young girl was dressed in tight blue jeans and a spaghetti strapped, red top.   
  
"Can I get you anything?" she asked while she passed three menus to them. "A drink to start?" her voice was less than welcoming. Lexa could tell just by her expression that she did not want to be there. But she was trying, at least.   
  
Brennan was the first to speak first. "Do you serve alcohol here?" he asked, what he needed was a little boost in his spirits.  
  
The girl nodded. 'You don't need any, bro. You look like you've had enough already' she thought, observing his tired eyes. "Yes we do, the list's on the menu. Can't remember them all," she excused.  
  
All three of them looked at the Beverages list on the back, the girl couldn't stop from smiling a little. Lexa passed her a glance and looked back.  
  
"I'll take a shot of that tequila," Brennan said.  
  
"Corona," Shalimar answered.  
  
"Uh---" Lexa stalled, she wasn't especially fond of beer, but she needed something. "Corona."   
  
The girl wrote it down on a tablet and looked back down at them. "Bottle or draft?"  
  
"Bottle," the two women said in unison, just because of the cleanliness of the place. The girl must have assumed that because she gave them a glare and then backed away.  
  
*Hey, Bren, get her name so we can get started on the search* Jesse instructed.  
  
"Hey!" Brennan called. The girl came walking back, obviously annoyed. "What's your name?"  
  
Startled by the question, her eyebrows furrowed. "Andy," she answered after a pause.  
  
*Short for?* Jesse inquired.  
  
"What's that short for?" Shalimar asked, acting as if curious.  
  
Andy looked skeptical and maybe a little embarrassed. "It's short for Andromeda, okay? What'd you wanna know for?" she asked, curiously.  
  
Lexa stopped herself from smiling, even laughing, at the unique name. But, the name Lexa, Shalimar, and Brennan wasn't very common either. The only reason for her holding back. "Original name ... just wondering," she excused.  
  
Andy backed away a second time, stalking off. Obviously embarrassed.  
  
*Andromeda, huh? I always liked Greek myth-names* Jesse said admirably.  
  
Lexa rolled her eyes, he wasn't seeing the point. "Search it will you, I'm more of a big-city-type-of-girl," she whispered into her comlink ring.  
  
*Yeah, yeah, yeah ... 'Jesse do this', 'Jess, do that', 'Jesse, don't you ever do that again!'* he mimicked. Lexa grinned.   
  
A second later, Andy came back with a tray full of drinks. She placed it on the edge of the table and grabbed the two Coronas and put them in front of Lexa and Shalimar. "Isn't there a law saying you can't touch alcohol?" Shalimar asked, confused.  
  
Andy grinned. "You ARE new in town."  
  
Last, she grabbed the shotglass. "One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor," she recited with a smile.  
  
Brennan grinned. "Not today ... we're not hungry, what're we up to?"  
  
Andy grabbed the tray and held it at her side and grabbed the tablet from her back pocket. "Ten bucks ...."  
  
"Even?" Shalimar asked.  
  
Andy leaned forward into a whisper. "Some of us don't like to count decimals," she joked.   
  
Brennan reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, he only found a fifty. 'Ah, let's give this to her ... it's not like we're lacking in the money-part of living' he thought. He grabbed the bill and gave it to her. "Keep the change."  
  
Lexa say the bill, and that 50 trailing her vision. Brennan gave her a wary glance, not to make a scene. Lexa just pouted silently.  
  
Andy frowned, realizing there was no catch, she placed it in her back pocket. "Alright," she cheered silently. "New pair of shoes. Enjoy your drinks." She backed away, this time with a grin on her face. Andy turned around and pounded the counter. "Hey, I'm taking off!"   
  
"All right, send your brother our love!" a large woman shouted from the kitchen. Lexa caught this, even though she hadn't known this girl more than five minutes. She liked Andy.  
  
No longer than Andy had left, Jesse connected the comlink. *Hey, Andy's the mutant!*  
  
"What?" Brennan asked.  
  
*Yeah, Andromeda Burton--registered in Adam's database as a gravitative. It's very rare*  
  
"Alright, let's get here," Lexa said as she took one more swig of her Corona and slid out of the booth. Brennan finished his shot and let Shalimar out of the booth and then they took off towards the back where Andy had disappeared no more than a minute ago.  
  
Shalimar's eyes changed to a brilliant yellow and she turned towards an alley across the street. "There ... I hear commotion." Lexa, Shalimar, and Brennan raced across the empty street and saw the young girl. Shalimar sensed that Andy's body heat was extremely high, she noticed the level's cause was andrenaline. Their eyes traveled upwards as they saw two men in black suits and sunglasses hanging almost two stories in the air. Now they noticed, Andy's hands were raised, her fingers spread apart.  
  
"Andy!" Lexa made her stop concentrating. Then she regretted it because Andy dropped her control on the men, they fell onto the ground. Andy whirled around and then outstretched her arms towards the three spectators.  
  
"You won't tell anyone," she commanded, she was no longer the funny teenager but the frightened, powerful girl that Lexa once was when someone threatened her brother.  
  
Lexa felt like she was a thousand pounds, she could barely move her fingers. And she was sure that Brennan and Shalimar felt the same way.  
  
Lexa didn't register the pain that came with her feeling like she was going to be flattened into the ground, her eyes widened as she saw the men come from the ground onto their feet. "Behind you!"   
  
Andy turned, keeping her control, but when she saw the men, she let go of the three strangers. Suddenly, blue bolts of electricity shot towards the men and they fell to the ground. Andy turned around and saw the same bolts residing in the man's palm.   
  
The blond held out her hand. "Come on, Andy. You're not safe here. You have to trust us ..." she pleaded.  
  
Andy took a warning step back. "Who are you?"   
  
"We're here to help you ..." Lexa joined in, for a second time, the men came to their feet. Not only was her senses shocking her into a rush of andrenaline but she was also confused. 'How could they get up?' she asked herself.  
  
Shalimar grabbed Andy's hand and pulled her to her side while Brennan and Lexa shot the two men with Tesla coils and laser-blasts. This time, the silent-men didn't fall but seemed to get stronger and more immune to their blasts as before.   
  
"Come on, we can't beat them!" Shalimar shouted at their friends. Her arm was still around Andy's shoulder, keeping her still.   
  
Brennan and Lexa finally gave up when they were exhausted. Brennan motioned for them to run as he hit the two men with more Tesla coils, Lexa ran after Shalimar and Andy then he joined them.  
  
* * * The Helix* * *  
  
Jesse was typing on the computer when Lexa, Shalimar, Brennan, and Andy rushed in. "Come on, Jess, they seem to be immune to our powers .... for the time being," Lexa added.  
  
"Oh, so not only are you super powered but you're also cocky ..." Andy observed outloud. Lexa past her a glance. "Who are you?"  
  
"That's Jesse, Lexa, Shalimar, and I'm Brennan ..." he explained as he plopped into a seat. Only by Shalimar's hand did Andy sit down in her shock.  
  
"Mutant X?" she asked, incredulously. "No way!"   
  
"You've heard of us?" Shalimar asked.  
  
"Of course ... my brother used to go on all about Mutant X," she said.  
  
"Who's your brother?" Jesse asked, as he lifted the Helix off the ground.  
  
"Uh---Loki .... Burton."  
  
Lexa turned around in disbelief. "Loki's your brother? Yes, that's right, Loki did have a sister named Andy. I remember now."  
  
"You know Loki?" Andy asked, gripping the arms of her chair so much her knuckles were turning white. Shalimar noticed and her eyebrows furrowed, she ignored it.  
  
"Yeah, we ran into each other a few times when I was hired to steal something. Where is he now?"  
  
The question made Andy's heart beat slow down, she lost eyecontact with Lexa. "He---uh---he got caught with all those cars ... he's in prison for Grand Theft Auto," she confided.  
  
Lexa turned around slowly. "Sorry ... I know how hard it is to lose a brother."  
  
"I didn't ... just lost a car-thief. He'll be back," Andy argued. "So ... back to those Suits ..." 


	2. Ch 2

* * * Sanctuary* * *  
  
"So what you're telling me is that this government agency is trying to track me down for something you don't know?" Andy recited. "How come it's always the government? E.T., Conspiracy Theory ... it's always the government."  
  
Jesse decided to take the subtle approach, by calming her down. "Movie-buff, huh? Well, we got a big DVD collection going on ... while you stay here."  
  
Lexa was way too impatient to try Jesse's way of doing things. "Do you know any other mutants?"  
  
"Mutants? Oh--what? You couldn't think of a better way to say FREAK?!" she exclaimed.  
  
Shalimar closed her eyes and put her hands on Andy's shoulders. "I'm going to take Andy to the rec room and explain this to her, nicely ... you guys calm down." She led Andy down the hallway followed by Brennan.  
  
Jesse crossed his arms. "Smoothe, Lex. Real smoothe."  
  
"We can't waste time by being 'nice', Jess. She needs to know the threat to her life and future .... while we figure out who those 'Suits' are," Lexa argued. She didn't know why everything about the mission seemed to end in an arguement between them.  
  
"Lexa ... she's just a kid, don't you remember when you were?" he asked.  
  
"Of course I do ... that's why she needs to know everything!" Lexa raged.   
  
"Lexa ..." he said barely audible. "Calm down," he touched her shoulder, he knew this was getting emotional for her. "We will ... but at a pace that 'she' is comfortable with, not us." Their blue eyes connected and his voice calmed her down. "If she freaks out, she's going to want to leave. And, she's powerful."  
  
Lexa nodded and shrugged off his hand and crossed her own arms. "How we do that?" she asked, curiously.  
  
He shrugged. "Let's give Shalimar and Brennan a few minutes to calm Andy down while we check up on those 'Suits'."  
  
Lexa nodded and joined him in front of the computer. "Well, the Dominion sent us a nice DNA strand .... where'd they get that?" Jesse asked as he opened a new file.  
  
Lexa rolled her eyes. "You don't want to know ... I don't want to know," she answered.  
  
Jesse put his hands on his hips and then swept his hair away from his face. "Well ... that explains the immunity thing. Actually, it's not really immunity. It's sort of a energy drain from the energy in your lasers and Brennan's Tesla coils. They seem to feed and regenerate on energy, so, they might be immune to yours and Brennan's powers. But not Andy's."  
  
"Right, so hand-to-hand combat--got it," Lexa nodded firmly. "Anything else?"  
  
Jesse studied the computer screen for a second, Lexa watched his concentrated face, wondering what's going on in his head. "Well, nothing that I can see." He put his hand over his mouth and then shrugged. "Alright, shall we?" he motioned towards the door, Lexa walked out of the room with Jesse in tow.  
  
Andy was sitting in the rec room, she didn't want to watch T.V., she wanted answers. But she figured that they didn't know anything, so why couldn't she go home? She could handle those suits. Shalimar and Brennan were sitting on a couch, watching her studiously.   
  
"What?" Andy asked, finally fed up. "Listen, if you don't have answers for me than I can go!" Andy stood up.  
  
Shalimar stood up, standing in between the door and Andy. "It's not that simple .... we're isolated by water. And you're life is threatened."  
  
"By what?" Andy asked, her arms spread out in a questioning gesture. "You don't know!"  
  
Lexa and Jesse walked in. "Actually, yes we do ... those 'Suits' that were chasing you were 'super powered' as well. They work for a genetic company," Jesse answered.  
  
Andy's hands dropped, she sat down. "I'm listening ..."  
  
"In the 1970s to 1990s, this genetic-research company called Genomex tampered with the genetic code .... creating mutants. Humans with super powers," Jesse explained. "We're all one of them, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."  
  
"Who said I was embarrassed?" Andy asked. "So? What do I do, stay here?"   
  
"Until we can stop that genetic company," Lexa answered.  
  
Andy lost eye contact and looked to the floor. "Fine ... if my life's endangered and my brother's right about you ... I guess you know what you're doing."  
  
"Right ... Brennan, Shal, you take Andy back to her place to get some clothes for a few days. We don't need an Amber Alert to interfere," Lexa instructed. Andy stood up and Brennan and Shalimar led her out the door.   
  
Jesse moved towards the lab, Lexa dropped her head 'you stupid-stupid man, leave you alone with a brunette in a large mountain all by themselves, and look how he spends it ... on the computer'. He turned around near the door. "Well? Aren't you coming?"  
  
'Okay, maybe not so stupid', she walked to the door, passing him.  
  
They got to the lab, Jesse moved to large computer there. "Well, we know that they're Elementals and can regenerate on energy ... but what is their powers? It doesn't fit into any Elemental classifications."  
  
"Jesse the All Knowing, stumped?" Lexa teased.  
  
Jesse passed her a careful glance. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. What do you think?"  
  
"Does it matter?" Lexa asked, her eyebrows furrowing. "We just kick their ass the old fashion way ... trust me, if they had some "all powerful" abilities, they had plenty of times to use them."  
  
Jesse crossed his arms and leaned back onto the counter. "I just want to know what they're bringing into the fight when we meet them again," he excused like there was nothing wrong with being cautious.  
  
"Yes, look both ways before crossing the street, I got ya," she excused.   
  
Jesse spread his arms apart. "What? What's the problem with being safe? .... I don't want you to have to run away everytime you see these guys."  
  
Lexa made a face and looked at him, she held a finger up to him. "We only ran away once." They were really close now, Jesse stared her down.  
  
"All they need is one time, Lexa," he argued. "Trust me." He moved away to the computer, Lexa put her hands on her hips.   
  
"Whatever," Lexa said. Jesse rolled his eyes and typed on the computer.   
  
Lexa swiped a rogue lock of hair behind her ear and crossed her arms. This was getting awkward, she moved to the door. "I'm going to talk to the Dominion ...." she excused herself and disappeared behind the door.  
  
Jesse sighed, why did she have to leave everytime they would get into an arguement. It's not like it was serious, arguing about two powerful Elementals and she runs away. 'Oh great, now she's got me thinking, I can't work now!' he exited the picture of the DNA strand and walked out.  
  
Lexa was looking at her laptop in her bedroom, she had no intention of calling the Dominion. Truth was, she was getting pretty annoyed with their demands more and more. There was a knock at the door, she didn't look up. "I'm working ..." she paused. "Naked."  
  
There was a pause. "Is that supposed to make me go away?" Jesse's voice carried into the room.  
  
Lexa smiled at his humour and finally got up and opened the door. "You're not on the computer," she teased.  
  
"And you're dressed." he returned. "I wonder which one of us is more disappointed." He smirked and moved past Lexa into her bedroom. He sat on her bed and patted the space next to him. "Sit."  
  
Lexa raised an eyebrow but did as Jesse said, except a little farther away then what he had motioned for. He didn't seem to have noticed. "What?" she asked.  
  
"Why do you do that?" he began. When she didn't respond, he went on. "Leave when we just have a little arguement?"  
  
"Because," she dragged out. "When 'normal' people are done arguing, they like to leave the room before it heats up again."  
  
Jesse shook his head. "No," he didn't accept her answer. "And I know you're not afraid of confrontations, so, what's up?"  
  
Lexa was surprised how well he knew her but she hid it well. "Nothing ..." she shrugged. "Just felt awkward."  
  
"I've heard you argue with Brennan 'and' Shalimar and you've never walked off before ... you've actually stuck around for more.Why am I any different?"  
  
'Ah! That's what you're after, Jess. You wanna know how I feel about you, well, it isn't going to be so easy' she gleamed. "Brennan and Shalimar haven't actually welcomed me to Mutant X with open arms there, Jess. And I like to prove my point."  
  
"You didn't answer my question, why am I any different?"  
  
Lexa looked away. "You know why."  
  
That was all Jesse needed, he stood up and turned back to her. "Right, well, come on."  
  
Lexa looked at his hand and then back up to his face. "Come on, where?"  
  
"Well, I asked you for drink, remember?" Jesse stated. Lexa remembered he had asked her right before she had met Randall Blake.  
  
Lexa stood up and smoothed her black skirt. Jesse motioned for the door. "Go ahead." Jesse shut the door behind him. 


	3. Ch 3

Shalimar and Brennan were piloting the Helix while Andy sat in the back, her head lying back on the head of the seat. Again, Shalimar saw Andy's hands clutch the arms as if her life depended on it and now that she was listening, she heard Andy's heart beat speed up as they hit another pocket of hot air.  
  
"Andy, are you acrophobic?" Shalimar asked.  
  
Andy tilted her head to look at the blond woman. "If that means afraid of heights, yeah. Since I was little."  
  
"Why didn't you tell us, we would've taken the car," Brennan stated. "Part of our mission is to keep you comfortable as you stay here."  
  
"Next time we'll take the car," Shalimar cut in. "Just relax, and this is the safest plane in the world. The smartest man designed it."  
  
"I don't doubt that, but sometimes when I'm stressed gravity seems to have more of an effect then my shortness of breath," Andy replied as she sighed. "When I was little, Loki rented a plane for my eighth birthday. He didn't know I was afraid of heights, so I almost crashed it with my powers."  
  
Now Brennan started to clutch the controls. "Oh great, now I really wish we would've taken the car."  
  
Shalimar hit him in the arm and Andy shook her head. "It's okay, I got more control over my powers now. That experience just added to it."  
  
Shalimar nodded. "Take deep breaths, it will be okay. Come on, Brennan. The faster we're at Sanctuary the better I'll feel." She knew Andy had control over her powers but she would feel a whole lot better knowing Andy wasn't afraid.  
  
***Sanctuary*** Jesse opened the cupboard and pulled out two wineglasses, Lexa took one and gave Jesse a look. "What's on the menu tonight, Jess?"  
  
"Well, last night was Friday and Brennan always likes a little bit of bubbly before the weekend," Jesse explained. "So, whatever we got." He added with a smirk. 'I hope nothing interrupts us now,' he thought.  
  
Lexa moved to the refrigerator and opened it; she turned back to him and frowned. "Sorry, seems Brennan needed a bit more joy in his Friday nights." Jesse's heart dropped. Lexa handed Jesse the wineglass. "Pick me up at eight," she piped up and turned back and walked out.  
  
Jesse grinned, 'there's Lexa, always taking charge' he mused. He placed the wineglasses down and followed her. The hangar door opened and Brennan walked out with a duffel bag with Andy carrying a backpack. Shalimar shut the Helix's power down and walked out.  
  
"There's no more guestrooms left," Jesse admitted.  
  
Andy slid her backpack off and threw it to Jesse. "Couch is as good as anything." She walked back to the recreation room where two rooms were surrounding a large, flat screen television.  
  
Jesse gave Brennan and Shalimar a wary look. "This is going to be fun," he said less than enthused.  
  
Lexa sat in a large, Italian leather seat and called the Dominion. The old man's face illuminated the screen. "We got the mutant," she didn't want to hint on the name.  
  
"Andromeda is a good specimen for the anonymous company," the man let on.  
  
Lexa's eyebrows rose. "Why didn't you tell us her name to begin with? Would make the search shorter, so we didn't have to run from those suits."  
  
"We figured that if you knew her name and age, you'd disregard her as an inadequate mission," he said in monotones. "Also, you needed to experience the agents' powers firsthand."  
  
'This is getting annoying' she thought sourly. "Okay ... have anything else you'd like to share with us to save her?" she inquired.  
  
"Not yet, we will contact you when we do," the connection ended and his answer left Lexa rubbing her temples in frustration.  
  
Brennan walked inside and put his hands in his pockets. "What did the Dominion say?"  
  
"Nothing, just that they'll contact us when they get more information," she replied as she leaned back.  
  
Brennan rushed his hand through his short black hair. "Think they're holding out on us?"  
  
"Well they've never been so open with top secret information ..." she decided to clarify. "Of course."  
  
"Andy's nothing but pleased to stay here so I think we have time," he explained. "Tell us when you find anything."  
  
"Same for you," she said as he walked out the door. Her and Brennan had been okay with each other and they understood that the other just wanted to help. With Lexa, that was okay.  
  
*** Jesse and Brennan were playing basketball while Andy was watching the T.V. Jesse outstretched his arms 'swish' it fell through the net perfectly. "Nothin' but net, going to have to do better than that, Sparky," he challenged.  
  
"Right, check your calculations, softy. You're down by four!" Brennan returned the challenge.  
  
Jesse tossed his sandy brown hair with a jerk of the head and grinned. "Sure, sure. I got plenty of time, Brennan."  
  
Brennan checked his watch. "While we're young, Jess. While we're young."  
  
Jesse dribbled the ball and moved around the tall man and tossed it into the basket. "Ha! Just one more three-pointer!" "Whatever," Brennan said. "My turn, cheater." Jesse tossed him the ball and spread his feet apart.  
  
"You're not getting past me, Sparky," Jesse said with a grin.  
  
"No powers, Jess. I mean it." Brennan dribbled the ball and took a step to the right of Jesse.  
  
Shalimar and Lexa were working on the computers, but they both were keeping an eye on the game. Jesse and Brennan had been competing at basketball for years, ever since Brennan and Jesse had first challenged the other to a game, so Shalimar was used to it. Lexa, on the other hand, thought it was hilarious that even though Jesse and Brennan were totally different from usual men, they found a way to compete like normal. Shalimar wished that Lexa could find a way to have a normal thing like Jesse and Brennan did.  
  
Brennan doubled over in defeat; Jesse raised his arms in triumph as he beat his friend again. Shalimar grinned and patted Brennan's back. "Don't worry, babe. You'll get him next time."  
  
"Oh, sure, he gets comfort when he loses," Jesse pouted. He walked to the computers and grabbed a white towel and dried himself off.  
  
Shalimar walked to her room and was surprised to find Adam waiting for her. "What're you doing here?"  
  
Adam's curly brown hair was tousled. "Get Jesse to check Andromeda's profile again, there's something that'll help you save her," he stated.  
  
"Okay, anything else?" she asked, a little taken aback by his seriousness.  
  
"She's not who she seems ... Andromeda is very important, and she's not the first," Adam stated.  
  
He disappeared in his holographic image and Shalimar dropped her head and turned back into the main room. "Jess, check Andy's profile again?"  
  
Jesse was surprised as well. "Why?" he asked.  
  
"The informant, he told me that she's not what she seems. Check it," she instructed.  
  
Jesse shrugged seeing no point to argue and opened the profile. "What? That wasn't there earlier," he stated.  
  
"What's it say?" Lexa asked.  
  
"Andy's mother, she died a year ago ... I swear that wasn't there," Jesse said.  
  
"What about her father?" Brennan asked as he dribbled the basketball.  
  
"Left her and Loki when Andy was three ..."  
  
"Where's she living now? With her brother in prison, her dad gone, and her mom dead?" Lexa asked, not too subtlety.  
  
Jesse gave her a look and checked it. "Uh---the city gave her permission to live on her own."  
  
"What? How? They have to be at least 16," Lexa exclaimed, they all gave her a look. "What? Me and Leo tried!"  
  
"That makes sense, she's an A+ student, has a steady job at the diner, they granted it," Jesse explained.  
  
"What a tough kid, putting up with all that. Plus getting chased by a genetic company!" Shalimar pointed out.  
  
"Maybe she is important," Lexa whispered. "If she disappeared, hardly anyone would know." 


	4. Ch 4

* * *   
  
Reese Douglas paced the large office, he stared down his employees 'Suits' as his new assignment called them. "How could you NOT handle a fifteen-year-old girl?" he raged, his black eyes wavering in fury. His partners needed that specimen to continue the project's research as he would not be made a fool of. A man with a strong build, he could take those two agents down with a single punch. He was 6'3'', broad shoulders, and black hair.   
  
"She used her powers on us . . . " the braver agent said, Michael Killinger, Reese recognized. "We fell about two stories!"  
  
Even with an excuse like this, Reese wouldn't let them have an easy way out of this failure. "Excuses, that's all I hear from you . . . "  
  
"That's not all," the other one interrupted, making Reese even more furious, Stan Peterson. "There were three others . . . mutants, an Elemental, Molecular, and one unidentified."  
  
Reese scratched his chin. "I will contact the partners on this one. You will find Andromeda Burton, and if you don't, I'll make sure that you never get close to an energy source again." Michael and Stan left, Reese crossed his arms and sighed. When the partners had given them the genetic outline for his agents, they left one weakness in their code to keep them in line. Though the regenerated on energy, a long period of time without it would kill them slowly but surely. 'We have to get that mutant. My life depends on it!' he thought.  
  
* * *Sanctuary* * *  
  
Andy walked into the main room with her arms crossed in boredom. The four adults seemed surprised by her presence. "What's going on?" as she noticed their strange behavior.  
  
"Nothing . . . " Jesse said. "Anything on T.V.?" he asked as he exited Andy's profile and walked toward her.  
  
Andy frowned. "Nothing, just commercials . . . and your movie-picks suck," she joked with a smirk.  
  
"What?" Brennan asked dramatically. "Even the Godfather?"  
  
Andy's eyebrows furrowed. "Boring and so played out. 'I could've been a contender', 'I made 'im an offer he couldn't refuse' . . . who doesn't know those?"  
  
"But what about the storyline? ..." Brennan asked, then he realized he had to abandon his effort. "Well, what's your favorite movie, then?"  
  
Andy took sometime to think about this. "Uh---2Fast2Furious . . . right now."  
  
Shalimar's jaw dropped. "Ah! My hero! Paul Walker makes it," she quipped.  
  
"Fast cars, crooked cops, I was made for this!" Jesse quoted. "Come on, I'm sure we can order it on digital cable. We live in a cave, kinda screws up the reception for Dish Network."  
  
Andy grinned. While they were leading her out, Andy's gaze traveled back to Lexa. "Aren't you coming?" she asked. She didn't understand that Lexa was still sort of the outsider in Mutant X, nobody understood why but it just felt awkward talking to her about things like movies, music, and what's better Chinese or Thai food?   
  
Lexa was caught off guard by the girl's questions, before she could say no Jesse walked back to her and touched her arm. "Come on, Lexa. You said you never like to miss a party," he said.  
  
Lexa shrugged and smiled a little. "All right, I haven't seen a movie in forever," which was the truth; working for the Dominion, Adam, and Eckhart for five years kind of got rid of entertainment like movies. 'I wonder if that's why I'm so irreversibly screwed up' Lexa joked inside her head and they all went into the rec. room.   
  
* * * 3 Hours Later* * *  
  
The movie had just ended and it was 12:00AM, Andy was asleep wrapped up in a blanket on the couch, laying on Shalimar's shoulder. Lexa was leaning on Jesse's shoulder, asleep too. Brennan and Shalimar were the only awake ones while Jesse had just drifted off to sleep.  
  
"See . . . the Godfather, 2Fast2Furious just put everyone to sleep," Brennan observed. Shalimar elbowed him in the arm, being careful to not wake up Andy.   
  
Brennan got up and touched Jesse's shoulder. "Hey, Jess."  
  
Jesse's eyes opened and his vision cleared. "What's up?"  
  
"Why don't you take Lexa to her room while Shal and I get Andy comfortable?" he whispered.  
  
Jesse just noticed the extra weight on his right shoulder, he looked to the sleeping brunette and nodded. "Never guess you'd be the one to catch me with a brunette . . . " he joked.  
  
Brennan grinned. Jesse eased his shoulder away from Lexa and picked her up before her head hit the pillow. "She sleeps like a rock . . . and weighs like one too."  
  
"Just put her in her room!" Brennan said.   
  
Shalimar leaned Andy on the couch while she got up and pulled a blanket over her. She stood up and made sure she was still asleep by listening to her regular breathing patterns with her feral hearing. "Do you think she'll be all right?"  
  
"With an attitude like that, sure!" Brennan answered. He walked out, muttering under his breath. "Making fun of the Godfather . . . kids these days."  
  
Shalimar giggled. Brennan could be even more immature than an eleven-year-old if he wanted to, that's why she was glad he had an important job to keep him in line. Shalimar walked out silently and turned off the light behind her.  
  
Jesse wasn't having too hard of a time holding Lexa, it was trying to open her door to her bedroom that was the trouble. "Okay, Lex. I'd like to have a little cooperation at this point, yes," he groaned as his arms got heavy. He was sure she was asleep, but talking to himself just made him forget that his hands were slipping. Jesse didn't want to drop Lexa, how Prince Charming would he be, then? 'I could phase' he thought, but he was having a trouble holding his breath since he was already losing it. "Sometimes I wish I could've been telekinetic," he muttered. Finally, he managed to slide her legs farther down his arms so he could reach the doorknob. He opened the door and then carried her to her bed.  
  
Jesse laid her down and then pulled the blanket up to her stomach and took a deep breath. "Even when you're asleep you make a man work hard . . . " he straightened his back and then crouched down again and kissed her forehead. "Good night, Lexa."  
  
Jesse walked to the door and pulled on the doorknob, finally, Lexa couldn't take it anymore. "Good night, Jess."  
  
Jesse whirled around and saw Lexa's eyes glinting. Then he pointed a finger at her. "That'll cost you dinner! ..." He grinned than turned around and turned off the light behind him. 


	5. Ch 5

* * * Jesse woke up at 8:00 in the morning, as always, he liked the quiet in Sanctuary. It was always busy from the Dominion's missions, Jesse sometimes wondered if they keep them busy day after day to keep them from wondering about their secrets. His dirty blond hair was tousled after a 30-minute work out in the dojo to wake him up fully. His stomach growling, he walked into the kitchen to already see Andy standing at the stove cooking what smelled like an omelet.  
  
"You're up early," he stated as he opened the refrigerator.  
  
"There's hardly anything in there, half of it was expired so I threw it away. I'm surprised that I had enough to make my breakfast," Andy greeted in a tired tone.  
  
"Tired?" Jesse asked as he opened the cupboard and got out a Nutri-Grain bar and sat down at a small table.  
  
"Never was good at sleeping at a stranger's place," she explained as she used a spatula to scoop the omelet onto a plate. "Nothing against you."  
  
Jesse shrugged. "I don't mind. We have enough time to spend together since we don't have anything on your company."  
  
Andy finally turned to face him, carrying her breakfast. "Yeah, how come you didn't come up with anything? What I've heard about Mutant X is that you're pretty good at finding information."  
  
"Ah—the Dominion sometimes gives us the information on our missions," Jesse explained. By Andy's questioning face, he decided to clarify. "A council that tells us what to do to save people."  
  
Andy raised her eyebrows. "Why?" She sat down and dug into her breakfast.  
  
"They pay the bills for our little place here," Jesse told her in-between bites.  
  
"You're doing their dirty work for a sweet crib?" she asked incredulously. "I didn't know super heroes were so superficial," she added with a smirk.  
  
"And a plane, computer and lab equipment ... we're still human, sort of," Jesse joked with a grin. "And we like to help people."  
  
"How do you know you're helping people in the long run?" she inquired, looking up to him from her plate.  
  
Jesse paused, thinking about the best way to answer. "We don't," he came up with. "We just have to trust that we're doing the right thing."  
  
Andy nodded and sat up straight. "If I were you, I'd find out exactly who you're fighting for." She got up before Jesse could argue and walked out, laying her plate into the sink on her way.  
  
Jesse lost his appetite, for the first time in his life. Andy, who found out about the Dominion less than two minutes ago, could tell that Mutant X was being played. Before he could figure out what to do, Shalimar came in. Jesse had known Shalimar for almost half of his life and knew that Shalimar had heard what Andy had said just from her face.  
  
Shalimar had heard what the young intuitive girl had said and wanted to comfort her best friend before he decided to do something rash. Shalimar sometimes thought of Jesse as a brother, and then there were times when she couldn't even recognize Jesse. He had proved many times to Brennan and Shalimar that no one knew everything about the young Molecular. Brennan had told her once that Jesse could speak fluent Italian and the feelings that Jesse had for Lexa surprised Shalimar to today. Lexa was an attractive and strong woman but she had closed herself off to everyone, including men, and everyone knew it but yet Jesse kept trying to open her up. Now Jesse had doubts about the Dominion.  
  
"We're doing the right thing," Shalimar spoke first.  
  
Jesse stood up. "I'm going to find out." He stormed out before Shalimar could stop him.  
  
"Jess!" she called after him but it was no use. Even though Jesse was more complex than anyone could guess, she still knew it took a lot to make Jesse angry but it didn't take a lot to make him do something about his anger.  
  
Lexa had one leg propped on her bed and one hand draped over her knee zipping up her black leather boots. She would never let anyone see her in her pajamas or without her hair brushed, just because of that special someone thinking she was used to living in Sanctuary. Lexa wasn't sure how long she was going to be there with Mutant X, so she always was ready if something happened and she had to leave. She kept a suitcase under her bed and her clothes all folded up in her dresser. Suddenly, the door crashed open slamming the wall behind it.  
  
Lexa looked over, her leg still on the bed, and smiled a little. "Easy, Tiger, we still got 12 hours," she teased. Jesse didn't look so happy.  
  
"I want to talk to the Dominion," Jesse commanded in a booming voice that surprised even her.  
  
Seeing that it was business, she dropped her leg to the floor and lost her smile. "Sorry, Jess. I'm the only one who can talk to the Dominion, the only one. It's the rules."  
  
Jesse spread out his arms in a questioning gesture. "Since when do you follow the rules?"  
  
Lexa didn't know if that was an insult or just a plea to get his way, either way, she didn't like it. "I'm sorry," she said. "I can't."  
  
"Fine!" he exclaimed. He turned around and was about to storm out when she took a step forward.  
  
"Wait ..." she tried to stop. "What's wrong, Jesse?"  
  
He turned around, realizing that her tone was truly concerned. "I'm tired of being lied to, Lexa," he said in a sorrowful tone that reminded Lexa of her brother's tone when they had met in the street. "My Dad, Adam, now the Dominion ... I can't take it."  
  
Lexa sat down on the bed and patted the place next to her; Jesse sat down and raced his hands through his hair and Lexa shifted so she could look him full in the eye. "What makes you sure that we're being lied to?"  
  
Jesse took his hands away and gave her a skeptical look saying 'Have you been here the last six months?' but that's not what he wanted to say. Then he told her what Andy had said in the kitchen.  
  
Now it was Lexa's turn to give Jesse a skeptical look. "You believe what she said? She hasn't been here to know the whole story behind the Dominion."  
  
"I might have told her some things," Jesse admitted. "And it's not just that, the whole story has been bottled up inside me for months what she said just made it tip over," he described.  
  
Lexa raised an eyebrow. "You think that's bad? I've been spending the last five years listening to what they told me ... I've been thinking the exact same thing but they helped me find Leo so I had to do it."  
  
Jesse turned more to face her. "What about now? Nothing's holding you down."  
  
"Well what do you propose we do? Strap a few computers on our back and take the Mercedes? They have their hands in everything," Lexa explained.  
  
"My only problem is what they're holding back on Andy's case ... we'll worry about how we're going to get away from the Dominion later," Jesse decided.  
  
"All right, I'll talk to the Dominion about Andy," Lexa said as she got up from her bed and smoothed out her skirt.  
  
Jesse got up too and followed her out the door. Lexa and Jesse departed, Lexa going to the computers and Jesse to the rec. room. No one was there, and then he heard something from the dojo. He slid open the door and saw Shalimar and Andy standing in the center each in a fighting pose. 'Sparring,' he observed.  
  
Shalimar started out slow, Andy was a beginner and Shalimar was a master. But Andy made her promise that she wouldn't hold back, but Shalimar's mission was to protect the young girl and she couldn't very well protect her if she went back home with shiners. She swung her fist a little slow then usually, but like lightning Andy moved out of the way, grabbed Shalimar's arm, and twisted it so that Shalimar landed on her back.  
  
"You broke your promise!" Andy looked down at her, still holding her arm. "You are no longer reliable," she said with a grin.  
  
"I was caught off guard," Shalimar said, Andy pulled her up.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." 


	6. Ch 6

* * *  
  
Andy sat on the couch, she should've guessed that after she threw Shalimar to the ground that she was in for it. Her whole body ached from uncomfortable positions Shalimar threw her in. Like Shalimar promised, she gained for control of her ability; lightening her weight so she wouldn't fall too hard, making Shalimar weigh less as well so that Andy could throw her harder into the ground. Sweat beaded on Andy's forehead as she regained steady breaths and slowed her heartbeat down. Her semi-long bangs stuck to the sides of her face, the salty taste made her mouth twitch in disgust.  
  
"Ten minutes and you're down?" Shalimar asked, bringing two water bottles from the refrigerator.  
  
Andy looked up and Shalimar tossed her one. "You beat a fifteen-year-old, don't act so happy."  
  
Shalimar giggled. "You look terrible, maybe you should take a shower before you do anything." She dropped onto the couch and unscrewed the cap.  
  
While Shalimar was taking a sip, Jesse and Brennan walked in and looked down at her. "Have fun?"  
  
"Fun?" Andy raged. "She almost killed me in there ... protectors my---"  
  
"Shal knew exactly what she was doing," Brennan interrupted in Shalimar's defense. "Feline-ferals always know how hard to push their enemies."  
  
Shalimar grinned back at Andy and looked to Jesse who didn't have a smile in his face. She reached up and touched his hand. "You okay, Jess? You kinda left in a hurry."  
  
Before Jesse could answer, Lexa came bustling in, she stopped and motioned for them to follow her to the computers. "Come on," she began. Jesse, Brennan, and Shalimar followed with Andy close behind. She wanted to hear what they found out, it was her future and safety that they were talking about and she just wasn't going to sit by and let them know everything.   
  
"I just talked to the Dominion, the company that's after Andy is called Phoenix Industries," she said as she stepped in front of the computer.   
  
Jesse's brow creased and stepped in front of her. "I'll search it. It's the only thing I can do around here," he mentioned. He clicked-and-clacked around the Internet.  
  
"That's a carpal tunnel case waiting to happen," Andy mentioned. She needed a confidence boost after the butt-kicking she just got, and like normal human beings, she got it from other people's embarrassment.  
  
Jesse passed her an almost hateful glance. His brow creased a second time. "Phoenix isn't a genetic company, it's a space travel research foundation ... like wings of NASA."  
  
"NASA?" Lexa asked incredulously. "How come we haven't heard of it?"  
  
"Because it's not funded by the government like NASA is ... it hasn't been fully recognized," Jesse said matter-of-fact.  
  
"That's just fine," Andy said impatiently. "What about me?"  
  
"Is that all you care about?" Shalimar teased her with a backwards glance.  
  
Andy gave a sarcastic smile. "Ha-ha-ha ... comedian."  
  
Again, Jesse tapped away at the computer, staring intensely at the screen. Lexa peered over his shoulder. "Come on, before she can drive," she joined in with the teasing.  
  
"Is it beat-down Andy-day?" she asked.   
  
Jesse cleared his throat. "Are you done yet?" he asked. When no one spoke, he looked back to the screen. "Anyway, it's called Project "Gravity"---"  
  
"Sounds suspicious," Lexa added.  
  
Jesse looked up. "You know what: you three should go bowling with your impatient-interruptions," he suggested, gesturing to Shalimar, Lexa, and Andy.  
  
Brennan was fed up with the suspense. "What's it say, Jess!"   
  
Jesse, surprised by his friend's exclamation, nervously looked back to the screen. "It's about toying with astronaut's DNA to make them adapt to other planet's source of gravity by alternating their weight."  
  
"If it didn't threaten my freedom, I'd say it was a pretty good idea," Andy replied.  
  
"Uh-huh," Jesse said. "I'm trying to get a location on the project."  
  
Andy thought for a second. "Wait ... my brother Loki's a Gravitative ... how come they didn't come after him?"   
  
Lexa looked back on her memories. "I thought Loki was Chromatic like me?"  
  
"He's both," Andy added before looking at Jesse questioningly.   
  
Jesse rubbed his chin. "Maybe it's because he's both .... if they went under the same DNA mapping as Loki's; the astronaut might get the Chromatic powers as well as the Gravitative. But they don't want more variables in the mix, I bet."  
  
It was all starting to piece together now. Shalimar paced a few steps. "But if they weren't able to get a hold of Andy. The only Gravitative left ..."  
  
"Would be my brother," Andy finished.  
  
Jesse didn't need any more than that, he exited the database. "What prison is Loki in right now?" he asked.  
  
"St. Joseph's Correctional Facility," she corrected.  
  
Jesse searched it. "Top news: Loki Burton Escapes Facility 12:17AM Last Night."  
  
Lexa put a hand on her hip. "Something tells me he didn't escape." 


	7. Ch 7

* * *  
  
Loki's eyes opened, a shiny, exhausted film blurred his vision. He was strapped to the wall so that all his blood could drain from the top part of his body, his toes were barely touching the floor and his hands were numb. Loki was just glad that it wasn't his kid sister Andromeda in his place. He had heard enough information to grasp that he was the second choice of this guinea-pig research. The bustling white-coat scientists have been taking so many blood samples that Loki wasn't sure if he had much left for them to take. Seconds later, his vision cleared and he saw what had been there for hours: computers, test sheets, and white-coats.   
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Mr. Burton ... you have shown so much progress in the past three months that I think we can upgrade you to a full-fledged agent," the older man said, his stark-white hair hanging in his eyes.   
  
Loki, the brash young man with longer brown hair, wore only Armani and Boss suits. To impress his new boss, he'd do anything. Mason Eckhart had promised that he would find a better life with the G.S.A. when his mother was diagnosed with a unique liver disease. It had been considered terminal, and the only thing that the doctor's said they could do was to make her comfortable, Loki would've never guessed that she'd fight it for five years.  
  
Loki nodded firmly. "Yes, sir. I won't let you down."  
  
Mason turned towards his speaker phone and pressed a button. "Send Ms. Pierce in," he commanded.  
  
Loki watched his boss moves with his sapphire blue orbs carefully. He had heard from everyone that even Mason knew how to push the right buttons, he was not someone to toy with. 'It's ironic, how someone with so short of time to live could be so powerful', almost everyone knew that Mason's immune system was deteriorating; explaining the new albino appearance and thermal suit to keep him warm and clean. His thoughts were interrupted by the automatic door sliding open, he pivoted his feet still keeping his hands behind his back. Loki had seen Lexa Pierce around the training facility. She had surpassed him in every level of training: communications, mission procedures, weapons, and fighting techniques. Technically, he had come second to her in their training class.  
  
"Ms. Pierce, meet Mr. Burton. You're going to be teammates in your mission," Mason introduced.  
  
They shook hands, but Loki could tell Lexa was preoccupied with learning their new mission. Mason went on, Loki turned, his back straight and jaw set. "There is a New Mutant Safehouse near the Gregory Bank on 50th and Hughes ... are you familiar with it, Mr. Burton?"  
  
Loki smiled at this. "Yes, sir. Thirteen thousand dollars," he said admirably.  
  
Lexa made a sound that would give Loki the idea that she was jealous, but he did have an enormous ego at that point of his life.   
  
"On of our spies has put a note to the location in one of the security deposit-boxes. Think you can temporarily borrow that?" Mason hinted.  
  
Loki nodded firmly. "Yes, sir."  
  
Mason walked behind his desk and sat in his chair. "Since you and Ms. Pierce are both of the Chromatic-Molecular classification, it will be easily done ... go see my secretary to get your I.D. badges incase you 'are' caught."  
  
"Incase," Loki stated, they both walked out. Lexa grabbed his arm and made him stop.  
  
"This isn't an andrenaline-rush mission, cowboy. If you screw this up, not only are you going to have to anwer to Mr. Eckhart--but I'll make sure that you'll be put in a stasis-pod forever," she threatened.  
  
Loki spotted her hand clutching his suit, he grabbed her hand and pulled it away. "Trust me, Ms. Pierce. If one thing is going to screw it up, it's going to be your temper." He let go of her hand and walked to the secretary desk.  
  
*Present*  
  
Loki's thoughts were called to a halt when a wasp-sting hit his ribs. He looked down, a stumpy little White-Coat was sticking him with a needle the size of New York in between his ribs. Suddenly getting a burst of energy, his fingers pressed downward and a deadly-red laser shot from his index finger bursting the syringe, crimson blood spilled to the floor. No sooner had the syringe broke did a sharp pain hit his spinal cord making him feel like he was dying.   
  
Loki screamed in pain and rage. Two suits came up and grabbed his wrists and pushed them to the wall. "Get me a sedative!" one called.  
  
"You feel that?" the other agent asked. "It feels good, doesn't it? We implanted you with a subdermal governor, you remember those, don't you?"  
  
The pain subsided and Loki's tearing eyes shot the agent a look. "Yeah, I remember. Don't worry, man. You'll get to see me without it soon."  
  
"What makes you so sure?" the agent inquired.  
  
Loki didn't get to answer, his eyes blurred like it had before and his mind slipped into unconsciousness. 'Because if I know Lexa, and what I heard about her and Mutant X ... she'll be here', he mused.  
  
* * *Sanctuary* * *  
  
Jesse took Lexa's line as a cue to get the floorplans of Project "Gravity''s lab. "I got the floor plans ..."  
  
"I'm going to talk to the Dominion one last time, I'm done being the last one to know," she excused, walking away.  
  
"I'm going with you," Andy stated.   
  
Lexa stopped and turned back, waiting for her teammates' answers.  
  
Shalimar definently argued. "Taking you there would be placing you in their hands, Andy. You know that."  
  
"It's my fault that Loki's in there!" Andy argued.  
  
"No it's not, you had no idea that they were coming after him ... but Andy, you can't go," Brennan said.  
  
Lexa came walking back. "I say she goes with us ... other than hand-to-hand combat, we have no idea how to beat those Suits. Andy can help, and so can Loki."  
  
Shalimar and Brennan sighed while Jesse remained silent. "What about it, Jess?" Shalimar inquired.  
  
Jesse looked up from the computer screen, he looked from Lexa to Shalimar. "I'll go get her a ring, just incase." He raced to the lab to find a spare ring.  
  
Andy smiled to Lexa. "You know, when I first met you, I thought that you were just a secretive-temperamental-control freak ..."  
  
"And now?" mused Lexa.  
  
"Now you're a NICE-secretive-temperamental-control freak."  
  
"Wow," she said with a smirk. "Glad you hold me in such high respect."  
  
Andy looked to the ground. "That's the sad part," she began. "That is my highest respect." 


	8. Ch 8

Pre-A/N: Since Wasteland just aired, there's going to a reference to the time when Jesse and Lexa have a discussion in the restaurant in the beginning. And a reference to Brother's Keeper.  
  
Ch. 8  
  
* * *  
  
Lexa established a connection to the Dominion. "Thought you could get rid of us this easily?"  
  
"We have sent you a computer virus that you will find on a disc in your dresser drawer," he stated. "We want you to place it in Phoenix's main hard-drive to destroy the database."  
  
Lexa's brows creased, she lifted her elbows and slid open the drawer, sure enough a disc was in there. Her eyebrows inched to her forehead. "How'd you get that in here?"  
  
He didn't answer her question. "Phoenix isn't funded by the government, but the company does have a powerful silent partner that is funding Project Gravity ..." he said.  
  
Lexa's shoulders dropped. "That would've helped us a lot more if you had told us EARLIER," she raged.  
  
He seemed taken aback by her sudden reply. "We want to know who this silent partner is, so, gather enough information from the database and then destroy it with that virus."  
  
"And what about Loki and Andy?" she inquired.  
  
"Until the threat is over, you will keep them there," he paused. "The Dominion understands that you have a past with Loki Burton in your carreer at Genomex."  
  
Lexa looked up. "It's not an issue if that's what you're thinking."  
  
"He is our only link to the silent partners, if you do not find enough information from the computer: interrogate him for the answers," his voice rasped.  
  
Lexa made a face. "He'll tell us anything if it will ensure the safety of him and his sister," she assured.  
  
"Make certain that he does not go back to his old ways, Ms. Pierce. He is more of a threat than ever since his powers have gotten stronger in the past six years, the Dominion fears that Loki Burton has become emotionally unstable as the years go by."  
  
"Losing his family? Seems to be going around," she sneered. "Don't worry, he'll be fine." She disabled the connection and stood up.   
  
Jesse was leaning on the doorframe. "What was that about?" he asked, his blond locks hanging in his eyes.  
  
Lexa's heart jumped but she gave him a sarcastic look. "Didn't anybody ever tell you that it's 'impolite' to sneak up on people."  
  
"All the time," he quoted. "But I just figured I'd pay you back," he smirked.  
  
Lexa walked to doorway and used her finger to swipe the escaping lock of hair from his forehead. 'That's bugging me' she mentally excused herself. "Hope this doesn't take long ..." she began with a roguish grin. "I got a hot date later." She winked before walking past him.  
  
Jesse grinned to himself before following her to the Helix. He grabbed the platinum, micro-chipped ring from his pocket and gave it to Andy. "Constant communications incase something happens."  
  
"All right then," she said with a smile.   
  
"Hey, guys, maybe we should take the car," Brennan suggested, his nervousness getting the better of him.   
  
"Trust me, Bren," Andy argued. "Nothing is more terrifying then thinking that I might be an only child." She walked up the ramp.  
  
Shalimar stopped and put an arm around Andy. "Not going to happen, kid. I promise."  
  
* * *  
  
Loki awakened to being still hung on a wall. His muscles ached from being in the same position for so long. His stomach growled ferociously as it had when he first got there. Loki closed his eyes to keep his mind off the intensifying hunger that was consuming his thoughts. Maybe he should concentrate on his memories of the one person he knew was coming to save him. Lexa.   
  
*Flashback*  
  
Lexa and Loki walked down the alley from the car that was graciously given to him by Eckhart, just for the mission, of course. "Well, Ms. Pierce. I hope you're not too rusty to break into a bank," he egged on.  
  
"This isn't a challenge, Rookie. We're here to get the directions," she stated, keeping her hands in her jacket. The blistering cold was all she could handle, not an egotistical bank robber.  
  
"Doesn't mean we can't have fun, Lexa. And what makes you think you're better than 'me', anyway? I'm the only one who can get into this place, I say you give me some respect!" he argued.  
  
Lexa hoped that she wouldn't have to go this far, she pulled out the small subdermal governor remote from her pocket. She held it up to his face. "I don't have to, Mr. Eckhart gave me this to keep you inline. So that's what you're going to do."  
  
Lexa didn't know how much weight that Loki could throw around from just appearance, like a flash, he grabbed her shoulders before she could press the button and thrust her into a wall. She winced, his hand grabbed the remote and ripped it from her grip.   
  
He backed away and threw it in the air, a red laser from his index finger shot to the remote and it exploded. "There goes your power ..." he walked down the road. "I'm here for my sister and you're here for your brother, so why don't we just get along until this mission's over."  
  
Lexa was just too shocked to argue, Loki could tell. But when he said that last statement, her expression changed and she nodded and they kept on to the bank.  
  
*Present*  
  
After that mission, Lexa and Loki requested to have missions together because they had the same reason to be there. For their siblings health and survival, they were only friends. Lexa was all about the job and her brother, and then she fell for Carter. Loki knew he was bad news, he could just sense it. A few months later, Leo escaped and so did Lexa. The last time Loki saw her was when he was sent to tell Lexa the news about her brother. Loki had never seen Lexa more hurt and confused until that moment when the news sunk in, Loki tried to talk her out of it: to stay with the agency until Eckhart could find him. But Loki could tell that she had known for quite some time that Leo wasn't okay in that hospital a few miles outside the agency. He tried to assure her that Leo was going to be okay, but Lexa was always the stronger one so he let her leave and bought her sometime until Eckhart knew she was gone. Because he had covered for her, he was going to be put in Stasis but he escaped. Months later, he had got word that Lexa had been accepted onto this team called Mutant X and she had found her brother but he had gotten away after a short period of time. Then she left Mutant X to be a mercenary for some top-secret group.   
  
Loki was sentenced the prison when he was caught with the cars he boosted for some money to pay his mom's hospital dues that healthcare didn't cover and then he heard from a guy who had connections to the outside that Lexa Pierce joined Mutant X again, found her brother only to lose him for the final run, but she stayed and Loki was glad that she was somewhere where she belonged.  
  
Pain shot his side again, this time Loki didn't budge but just savored the thought that he wasn't going to die in here. Lexa, and her Mutant X team, will be here soon. He could sense it when she was close, like he always could. 'Call it intuition, extra-sensory perception, or just that noise I can hear from the other lab', he mused with a small smile. His eyes still closed, he could still see the light shining through his eyelids. 'Through the light, freedom be found'.  
  
* * *  
  
Jesse didn't know there would be so many scientists on duty at ten o' clock in the morning, obviously he was wrong because there was a lot of them buzzing around the honey-comb looking building. From the floor plans he had gotten, most of the rooms were lead lined so if any chemicals and radiation had gotten out; it wouldn't interfere with the other projects. Lexa handed him the virus-disc.   
  
"Place that in the main hard-drive, do you know where that is?" she inquired, though she didn't say anything Jesse could tell that she was nervous about seeing her friend again. No matter how important the mission was.   
  
Jesse waited until Shalimar and Brennan had taken Andy ahead, he reached for Lexa's hand and pulled her to another hallway. "What is it with Loki that has the Dominion so scared?" he whispered, making sure Andy didn't hear.  
  
Lexa was offended that Jesse suggested that Loki was a bad person, which he wasn't. "He's a mix between my brother and Brennan. He's an andrenaline-junkie, he always was. It doesn't matter how the years changed him, the other part is that he changes when something happens to his friends and family. He doesn't have the mutant-powers like my brother. The Dominion's afraid that if something happens to Andy, or me," she added. "He'll take revenge on the people who did it, ruining their chance of getting the silent partners."  
  
She had explained everything he had heard to the rest of his teammates, but he had never guessed that Lexa and Loki were that close. "You were really close?" he decided to put his suspicions down.  
  
"Other than my brother and Carter ... he was the only one I ever trusted. It hurts to know that it's my fault that he's in prison and that he wasn't there for Andy," she confided. It was, after all, her fault. When Loki had told her that Leo had escaped all she could think about was saving Leo. It wasn't until days after that she was kicking herself for not asking Loki to come with her. Loki was her dearest friend, and she knew that if she asked; Loki would've came with her and maybe she could've found him earlier.   
  
"It's not your fault," he persuaded, breaking Lexa from her blame-trail. "You'll get this all straightened out, trust me, if he's what you and Andy told me; he'll be all right," he assured. He squeezed her hand that he was still holding, and brought it to his lips to gently kiss it, their intense blue eyes locking onto each others. Suddenly, a crashing noise shattered their thoughts and made them jump. Jesse dropped her hand and they raced down the hall towards the source. Lexa was there first, she stopped abruptly making Jesse almost collide with her. Jesse looked, Shalimar, Brennan, and Andy were crowded in the center of a laboratory with about five suits surrounding them. Scientists were pushing past them to get out, not caring who they were. Lexa reached behind her and felt for Jesse's hand, he grabbed hers and then she made them both invisible. 'This is going to be a long night' Jesse thought.   
  
***A/N***  
  
Thanks mfkngst for those kind words  
  
Riley for the Dominion-thing  
  
And for everyone who reviewed, I can't possibly write anything without your kind words! :-)  
  
~*~K~*~ 


	9. Ch 9

* * *  
  
Andy kept her the Suits at arms length, concentrating hard enough so sweat beaded on her forehead. She tried to do something that Loki did all the time when he got in trouble; spread her gravitative powers to every single one of them to hold them down. Andy had tried to do it the first time she had met Mutant X and the Suits in the alley but her concentration was off. It wasn't easy concentrating on so many people at the exact same time, because making them weigh 500 pounds could flatten one person but not effect a stronger one. Andy heard Jesse talking about how they feed on energy, so their strengths aren't the same all the time.  
  
Brennan stepped in front of her. "Andy, stay behind me. You can let go now."  
  
"Not until Lex and Jess get here," Andy argued. "I know how these guys fight ..." she confided.  
  
"How? I thought you only saw them once in the alley," Shalimar said.  
  
"We don't have time! Andy, you're going to tire yourself out, and we're not to your brother yet," Brennan knew what to calm her down, the same thing that calmed Lexa down: her brother.   
  
Andy blinked and her hands fell to her sides. The Suits stumbled as they went back to their original weight in a split second, this would make them pause to steady their heartbeats. "Go! They're weaker now!" she shouted. She couldn't fight those men, she knew she couldn't; so she would have to help Brennan and Shalimar another way.  
  
Shalimar swoop kicked one man and he flew back into another, both of them falling down. Flipping her wild blond locks out of her eyes, they glowed a deeper gold than anything that Brennan has ever seen before. This emotion that she was feeling wasn't just the need for the hunt-not primal, but something that every human or mutant feels: Compassion. As Brennan was hitting the Suits of the head with his fists and legs, he was thinking about the effect that Andy had on each and everyone of them. Andromeda Burton wasn't just a fifteen-year-old New Mutant, she was a loving-sister. In a way, she was aquired traits of every teammate on Mutant X. The trait that was becoming more and more revealed was the devoted and powerful sister that Lexa was; Brennan still felt guilty for Leo Pierce's death, even though Lexa had never said anything after the discussion in her bedroom. Hell, Brennan had been giving HER more crap than she was. Maybe, Brennan had decided, 'I can make it up to Andy and Lexa if I make sure we save that Loki Burton'. Even Brennan had felt compassion for the young girl, and trust wasn't something that you just gave out to anybody. His thoughts were sort of knocked out of him as a fist came in contact with his cheek.  
  
"Ugh!" he forced out as he landed on the linoleum floor hard. 'What, are these guys made out of stone?' he thought as he took a deep breath.  
  
Shalimar spotted Brennan falling and took no hesitation towards running with her feral speed and knocking the Suit out with a swift kick in the face. 'Oh no ... Andy' she realized that by leaving her spot and Brennan on the floor, Andy was left with the five Suits left. She span around and saw two Suits grabbed Andy by the arms.  
  
"Shal!" Andy cried, her form twisting, trying to wrangle from their grip.   
  
In a flash, Shalimar was on top of the two Suits, her stilletos pressing into their backs. Andy tripped over the unconscious form of a Suit and landed on the floor on her behind. It didn't hurt, she had learned in school that when the andrenaline is pumping; the body doesn't recognize small amounts of pain. 'Where was Lexa and Jesse?' she thought.   
  
* * *  
  
The moment after Lexa had turned them both invisible, Jesse tried to move towards his friends when Lexa tugged him toward the other door. Jesse turned around and pulled her form to him, he didn't see it but he knew she was there next to him. "We have to help them," he whispered.  
  
"Listen, they can take care of themselves and Andy. We have to get Loki and get the files about the silent partners."  
  
She tried to move on, still holding his hand. Jesse held his ground and clutched her hand tighter. "We don't know what those Suits are capable of ..."  
  
"Jess, trust me. Once we get Loki, it's going to be fine. With his and Andy's gravitative powers they can take down all of them."  
  
Jesse eased his grip and they walked out the other door towards the main computers. Once Lexa spotted her beaten friend, she let go of Jesse's hand and they both turned visible again. Not stopping to investigate the state he was in, she raced towards the wall he was chained to. Oh, he looked terrible, she echoed. His brown hair was so much shorter and the age and torture of those five years took a toll on him, his eyes were still closed but she could see the faint wrinkles and dark circles under his eyes. 'Oh, God. Please don't let him be dead', she pleaded in her head. As if the heavens had heard her plea, his chest rose high and his eyes opened slowly.  
  
"Pierce," his dehydrated voice rasped. "I thought I got rid of your ass," he said with a all to familiar smirk.  
  
Lexa grinned. "I wish ... I thought I got rid of you forever."  
  
His weary eyes passed to the man behind her. "Who's that?"   
  
The man stepped forward, closer to them. "Jesse."  
  
Loki said. "Lex ..." he started. His eyes closing for a second to regain his strength. "Could you untie me?"  
  
Lexa beaded her eyes and went around next to him and pointed a finger at the shackles, a red laser shot from her fingers and began to tear through the metal. Loki's arm dropped, followed by his shoulder. Lexa walked around him and started with the other one.  
  
"Hey, Jesse," Loki began. "Could you step to the right a couple of steps, please?"  
  
Jesse was confused, but from Lexa's glance, he did what Loki told him to. A second later, Lexa seared through the shackles and Loki dropped from the resting place and landing on his knees with a small grunt. Lexa hurried to his side and tossed his arm around her neck.   
  
Loki was raised to his feet. "Look-at-that, Lexa Pierce finally got to the gym," he teased in a tired tone.  
  
"You think you know pain," Lexa warned. "Jess, help me out."  
  
Jesse tossed Loki's arm around his shoulders and they aided him towards the door.   
  
"How'd you guys find me anyway?" he rumbled, his head was feeling light after all the blood tests but he'd get over it. Suddenly, the door to the lab flew opened and the one person that Loki didn't want to see in his time of weakness.  
  
"Loki!" the young girl cried, in surprise and sorrow at seeing her brother in such bad shape. All Andy wanted to do was give him a hug, she ran to him.  
  
Loki forced his arms from behind Jesse's and Lexa's necks and ignored the muscle tension that came after that. He wrapped his muscular arms around Andy and kissed her cheek when he broke the reunion. "Hey, kid. I thought we decided that I was going to save you from now on."   
  
'Just like Burton. To mask his happiness with remarks like that' Lexa said glumly.   
  
The door flew open and two more people came inside, Loki looked from his sister to them. One was a woman with tousled and wild blond hair some was sticking to her face in sweat, her arms were bare, revealing scratches and bruises.   
  
"I thought I heard some Suits outside," Loki mentioned as his gaze traveled to the other, a man. He had reckless dark-brown hair like himself but brandy-brown eyes and was taller than Loki by a couple inches. "There's some more that way." He pointed to the opposite lab. "They're for REAL damage control though."  
  
"Come on, we have to get you out of here," the blond woman said.   
  
"Who're you?" Loki asked.  
  
"Brennan," the man said first. He obviously didn't like the way that Loki was staring at the blond woman, Loki didn't care, a lot of G.S. agents, preferrably Lexa's boyfriends, looked at him the same way years ago.  
  
"Shalimar."   
  
"Okay ... now that we're all introduced ..." Andy said, impatiently.  
  
"Oh, Shalimar, Brennan, do you know my sister Andy?" Loki teased, bumping Andy in the shoulder with his arm.   
  
"Come on, smart ass," Lexa returned.  
  
"Wait ... they implanted me with a subdermal governor, Lex. I can't do anything," Loki explained.  
  
Brennan clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Good thing I'm excellent at disabling those things," he said with a wolfish grin.   
  
Loki felt a sort of uneasiness around him that he didn't understand, and he watched him with wary eyes as Brennan made his way beside him to disable the governor. A small shock was sent down his spine, Brennan walked back to Shalimar. Loki raised his palm, it illuminated in white light. His mouth curved in a smirk and then it disappeared. "Thanks, Sparky ... I owe ya one."  
  
Brennan wasn't happy at that remark. "Do I need to get that name tattooed on my forehead, or something?" he asked.  
  
"No, I heard it kinda hurts near your hair line," Loki said, thinking he was serious.   
  
Lexa finally noticed that Loki didn't have a shirt on. "How come everytime you're taken hostage your shirt just magically disappears?"  
  
Loki scoffed. "One time ... come on, I'd love to stand her and talk about this but I think we're missing Buffy."  
  
Jesse didn't follow them out the door. "Lexa," he stopped her. "We still have to put the virus in the main drive."  
  
Lexa nodded. "Loki, you and Andy go with Bren and Shal to the Helix. We'll be back."  
  
Loki nodded and they disappeared out the door. Lexa turned to Jesse. "Where is it?"   
  
"A few doors down, we'll need to get in there undetected," Jesse said holding out his hand.  
  
"Sure? Or are you just wanting to hold my hand again?" she grinned.  
  
Jesse gave her a devilish look. "What would you prefer?" Lexa rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand and they went invisible.  
  
* * *   
  
By the time Shalimar, Brennan, Andy, and Loki walked inside, all the Suits were all up and ready for a second round. Loki didn't waste any time going into fight-mode. "Andy, do you remember when these guys came to us the first time?"  
  
Shalimar and Brennan passed glances at eachother in confusion, but Andy knew exactly what he was talking about. "Yeah," she answered.   
  
"Remember what we did to make them stop?" he started. Andy grabbed her brother's hand and their two other hands raised into the air. "Do that with me now."  
  
"Okay," she obeyed. Suddenly, the Suits raised in the air. They seemed like robots, to Andy, like from the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Really tall and showed no emotion, they had to be given instructions from their leader, and until then they would just stand there. Whatever they were waiting for, they forgot about it when they started to float in the air.  
  
Shalimar and Brennan watched in awe, the ceiling was about ten to fifteen feet high. The Suits just raised higher and higher until they were sticking to the ceiling.  
  
"What the hell?" Brennan asked.   
  
"Come on, let go, Andy. I can take care of this," Loki assured. Brennan and Shalimar walked through the lab still eyeing the five Suits stuck on the ceiling like a bunch of flies to a sticky-paper while Andy just briskly walked out. Loki was the last to leave, he walked through the doorframe and then let go.   
  
* * *  
  
Jesse and Lexa walked down the hall, when the coast was clear, Lexa let go and took one more look around. "How far?" she asked.  
  
"Umm ... that room---" but his sentence was cut off when a bullet flew past his head. Jesse turned and grabbed Lexa's shoulders and stood in front of her, he massed out and the assailant emptied a round onto his back.  
  
"Do they not get it or something?" Lexa asked, she knew that Jesse was running out of oxygen so she grabbed his hand and turned them both invisible. Lexa heard Jesse exhale and knew he was alright.   
  
"Infra-goggles, men!" the gunman shouted.   
  
"Oh crap," Jesse said.   
  
"Come on," she whispered, tugging his hand into a nearby room. Jesse followed her, crouching down incase they were already looking around with the infra-goggles.  
  
When they got inside, Lexa let go and they became visible again. Jesse pushed her into the corner, away from the doorway. "They're going to see us either way," Lexa excused. "Just phase into the next room, genius."  
  
Jesse frowned. "It's not that easy, these walls are too thick to phase through-and lead-lined. Cuts down on comm-link reception."  
  
"Oh great," she said sarcastically. "So we're stuck here."  
  
Jesse's answer was delayed when a siren went off in the building. "Building lock-down activated," a robotic voice echoed through the conveniently lead-lined halls. The door began to close, Lexa tried to push Jesse out but it didn't work. The door was shut.  
  
"Now we're stuck in here," Jesse decided. 'This is going to be a long day'. 


	10. Ch 10

It's been a while, I'm sorry. Had a bit of writer's block. But I'm okay now, so I made this quite a long chapter. Enjoy!  
  
* * *   
  
Loki didn't really like leaving Lexa in that place, but he knew better than to underestimate the other Chromatic. Five-six years ago, Lexa could take anyone but Loki wasn't sure her mind was as clear as it was before. Especially with the way she looked at Jesse. 'Well it's about time', Loki mused. 'I have a better feeling about Jesse than I did Carter.'  
  
"Loki," Andy had called him out of his reverie. "Loki, are you there?"   
  
Loki blinked a few times before answering. "Yeah, what is it, Andy?" Snapping back into reality, he realized that they were moving outside while he was thinking. Shalimar and Brennan were about five feet ahead of them while Andy stayed back with Loki. They walked in damp green grass that Loki took comfort in while it made his bare feet wet.   
  
"Are you okay? You kinda blanked out," she said, her worry consuming her.  
  
Loki wrapped his bare arm around her and squeezed her tight. "Oh come on, Andy. The youngest carefree Burton worried?" he asked, as if reading her thoughts.  
  
"Ha!" she sarcastically laughed. Andy was never carefree, out of the both of them, Andy was the most uptight. But since Loki was an petty thief and car booster, that wasn't saying much. "Right!"  
  
Shalimar stopped and turned back. "Come on, you can have this conversation later," she urged.  
  
Loki rolled his eyes and gently pushed Andy forward. Walking past Shalimar, he leaned closer to her. "Are you always this uptight or it's just because you don't want to lose such a gorgeous guy."  
  
Shalimar smiled ever so poisonously. "Yeah, let me know when you see one," she said in a sexy voice.  
  
Loki walked past and grimaced. "Ouch!" He clutched his chest in drama. Loki turned around and pointed to her. "I like 'you'."  
  
* * *  
  
Jesse took out his palm pilot to view the progress of the lock down. "It's still on, I don't know when they're going to open all the doors," he explained. His blue eyes traveled to the door where Lexa was standing, blasting the hell out of it with her lasers. Jesse pocketed the palm pilot and stood up, he walked in front of her between blasts.   
  
Lexa put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows. "If you don't have any other ideas, Jesse. Then get out of my way."  
  
Jesse closely inspected Lexa, her wavy brown hair was dampened because she had worn herself out using her powers over and over again. Jesse put his hands on her shoulders. "Well, working yourself past exhaustion isn't going to open the door, Lexa." He gently pushed her farther away from the door to the wall. "Here, sit down."   
  
Lexa was too tired to argue with him, and she didn't want to have extra tension between her and Jesse if they were going to be staying in this room for quite some time. She let him back her up into the wall and she slid down into a sitting position. Jesse stepped to the left of her and sat down too. "So, what's your guess on how long we'll be here?" she inquired.  
  
Jesse groaned and let his legs spread out. "Mmm, I have no idea. An hour, maybe two. It isn't easy to lock down a building and then open it up again."  
  
Lexa groaned and leaned her head back and looked at the dark ceiling. "Are you sure my lasers won't help?"  
  
"Reinforced steel," Jesse explained. "Are you saying that you'd rather die than stay in here with me?"  
  
Lexa's eyebrows furrowed and she turned to see him smiling. Lexa grinned. "If that's what keeps you working on getting us out of here. Well, what do you think we should do?"  
  
"Well, like I told Brennan: like when they tell you you're drunk, you lay down," Jesse quoted and shuffled farther to the left and then laid down, his head lying closer to Lexa.   
  
Lexa looked down. "Oh, a true optimist."   
  
"Always," he paused. "So, what's your history with Loki, anyway? I know you didn't just steal something with him."  
  
Lexa sighed, as if it was an inconvenience, even though it wasn't. "It was a long time ago, Jess. Almost six years."  
  
"We have time," Jesse said, motioning with his hands to emulate a big space.   
  
Lexa looked around. "Remember when I told you I worked with the GSA?" she asked, when he nodded, she went on. "He was there."  
  
"He's ex-GSA?" he exclaimed.  
  
"He's not like that, Jess. We were both there to help our family, we were almost family."  
  
"Was he your 'boyfriend'?" Jesse inquired with a spark of jealousy.  
  
Lexa looked at him and smiled. "No," she answered. "Just friends, we both wanted to help our siblings. He wanted to help Andy and I wanted to help Leo. So we just spent a lot of time together."  
  
"That's all, just time?" Jesse asked. "You guys look at each other like you were split apart at birth."  
  
Lexa grinned. "Well, at Genomex, everyone takes care of themselves. It's hard to find a friend in a place like that. But we took care of each other. He's the one who told me that Leo escaped ... and he covered for me when I left." She took a moment for that to sink in. "Eckhart found that it's an offense if you help a fugitive, he risked his own life for me."  
  
Jesse nodded. "He must love you a lot."  
  
"Are you jealous?" she inquired, taking a closer look at him.  
  
"I was," he said. "Until I realized that your relationship is kinda like Shal's and mine." He looked up at her and smiled, illuminating the famous "Kilmartin" dimples that Lexa liked so much.  
  
"So you're not jealous?" she asked again.   
  
Jesse shook his head. "It's not like I'm your boyfriend or anything."  
  
Lexa nodded. "So ... is there any floor left for me?"  
  
Jesse nodded and scooted closer to the wall and patted the floor next to him. "By all means."  
  
Lexa laid down and they both stared at the ceiling. "Do you think we'll ever get to our date?"  
  
"Well you know me, always the optimist," Jesse laughed, then he sighed. "I don't know."  
  
"Well, what were you going to plan for our evening?" she asked as she rolled to the side closer to him and propped her head up with her hand.  
  
Jesse made a humming sound. "Well, I guess I can tell you ... I was going to take you to a bar for some drinks."  
  
"What bar?" Lexa asked.  
  
"It's called 1209," he explained.  
  
Lexa frowned. "Good to me, what then?"  
  
"I don't figure you for a "French-type" restaurant, so I was going to take you to this Italian place for a late dinner since I don't see an early dinner with our schedule."  
  
"Really?" she asked. "Italian food's good."  
  
"I was hoping you'd say something like that," Jesse replied. "That was all I had planned out," he finished.  
  
"And what would've happened after dinner?" Lexa asked, raising an eyebrow.   
  
"Well, that was up to you," Jesse whispered.  
  
"Huh," Lexa said as she frowned. "Too bad."  
  
Jesse nodded, his lips in a line. "Yeah ..." His gorgeous blue orbs traveled to her face and they glinted with the light in the room. Leaning on his right hand, he raised his left hand and touched her cheek. Lexa pulled back a little.  
  
"Jess ..." she moved a little farther, locking eyes with the man.  
  
Jesse took his hand back and then lied back on the ground. "Yeah."   
  
Lexa didn't even have to look at him, but looked at the floor. 'Damn your closed off heart' she mentally scolded herself. Then she was struck with the awkwardness that usually came after their arguments, but this time it was because he was being sweet to her. "It's not like I don't like you, Jesse," she said before she could stop herself.  
  
Jesse, who had been staring at the ceiling, avoiding her gaze looked back up at her. "What?"  
  
"Well why do you think I accepted your invitation?" she asked, wondering why he even had doubts. "Even for the drinks?"  
  
Jesse blushed a little, that made Lexa smile. "Right."  
  
"Just ... I like to take it slow," she said slowly, looking away.  
  
"You didn't take it slow with everyone else," he took a final jab at her heart, that made her cringe. The second that it was out of his mouth, his stomach flipped. 'I had to do it, didn't I?' he scolded himself.  
  
Lexa made a questioning gesture with her hand. "Well, wasn't very successful, now was it?" she returned.   
  
Jesse made a small smile. "I guess not," he stated as he propped himself up again. "It's okay, I'll wait." Then he laid back on the floor and put his arm under his head and looked up at her. "Okay?"  
  
Lexa answered with a firm nod. "Okay." No later had she said it, had the doors began to rise.   
  
* * *  
  
Under Shalimar's strong influence, did Loki board the strange looking plane. "Uh-hell no!" he had said, but Shalimar grabbed his shoulder and tossed him in there like a ragdoll. Andy followed Shalimar into it and Brennan chuckled. Loki sat down in one chair, but apparently it was the wrong one because Shalimar snapped her fingers to make him get up.  
  
"What? Get a seating chart, will you!" He snapped as he sat next to his sister.   
  
Andy couldn't contain her laughter. Loki turned back to her and made a face. "You're supposed to be on 'my' team!"   
  
* * *  
  
Jesse hopped to his feet and waited until Lexa was on hers before venturing out the evil reinforced steel door. But to their surprise, the halls were empty, ghost empty that their foosteps echoed lightly against the walls.  
  
"I think I saw a Twilight Zone episode a little like this," mentioned Lexa.   
  
"Just be careful," Jesse stated. "We still have to get to the main computer." They carefully turned to the left and walked down another, deathly quiet hallway. Jesse pointed to a door. "That's it."  
  
Lexa held up a hand to stop Jesse from opening the door, taking a breath before she would open the door. Lexa's other hand went to the handle, she pushed it open and then she rubbed her hands together once, sending a blindingly bright light across the room. When the light disappeared, Jesse and Lexa looked in the room.  
  
"It's empty," Jesse observed. Not only were the scientists missing, but so were the computers. The white linoleum floor was splotless and never endless in the large white room.   
  
"Are you sure this is the room?" Lexa asked, taking a step inside.   
  
Jesse nodded. "Yeah ... no wonder they shut it down, so they could get the computers away," looking up, wondering how he could be so stupid.  
  
"Come on, we'll deal with this later. Let's get back to the Helix," Lexa instructed, turning around, moving past Jesse to the door.   
  
* * *  
  
Shalimar, Brennan, and the two gravitative mutants were in the Helix a good ten minutes before Lexa and Jesse decided to show up. "What took you so long?" Shalimar asked.  
  
"Did you get the files?" Brennan further inquired.  
  
"No," Lexa answered. "They locked down the building and took the computers away before we could get to them."  
  
"What?" Shalimar exclaimed. "How could that happen?"  
  
"Just like they told you, I'm guessing," Loki shrugged.   
  
Shalimar pointed a finger in his face. "You, shut up."  
  
Loki made a face. "You must be a blast to live with, kitty." He looked out of the window.  
  
"How are you guys getting along?" Jesse asked, preparing to take off.   
  
"We're not," Shalimar snapped back with a sidelong glance at Loki. "I'm about to make myself a new lava lamp."  
  
"Ooh, you make me laugh," Loki said with a grin from ear to ear.   
  
Shalimar's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at Lexa purely saying 'What is this guy on?'  
  
"The truth is, you all need me to help you find these computers, and maybe on the person behind Project Gravity," Loki said, raising his eyebrows.   
  
Lexa turned around in her chair and gave him a questioningly look. "How do you know that?"  
  
"I love ya, Lex, you know that," he began. "But you didn't come here 'just' to rescue me."  
  
"The fact is, it's not run by just one person. I heard someone say the silent partners. It's definently a group behind it," explained Loki looking from Shalimar to Lexa, who were both looking at them. "Not one person could have the money for all the research they had, especially when every test they took proved no results."  
  
"You're blood didn't work?" Shalimar asked.  
  
Loki shook his head. "I'm Chromatic, they tried to just pinpoint the DNA that gave me the Gravitative powers."  
  
Lexa frowned. "You might be right."  
  
"Might be? I'm never wrong on this kind of thing, Lex," he stated.  
  
"Even if you're a criminal," Brennan added.  
  
Loki pointed a finger at his back. "I know your profile, Brennan Mulwray, I know you used to have quite a rap sheet."  
  
"Used to," Brennan hinted.  
  
"Then we have something in common," Loki replied hotly.   
  
Lexa knew that Brennan was pushing Loki to the edge, especially since Loki is emotionally unstable.  
  
Brennan didn't buy it, but he didn't press the issue. "So, did you get anything else? Like where they would take the computers?"  
  
"Nothing on that ... but on the silent partners, I know that they're planning on shutting down Project Gravity and firing the project head, Reese Douglas. That's why they broke me out of prison so fast after, I'm guessing, you got Andy," Loki explained.   
  
Lexa nodded and then turned back. "We'll talk about this when we get to Sanctuary."  
  
"You should see this place, Loki. Donald Trump would be after it," Andy changed the subject.  
  
Loki raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Okay, what's Sparky doing there, then?" he antagonized.  
  
Shalimar whirled around, her eyes flashed yellow. Loki held up his hands in surrender. "Lava lamp, got it."   
  
* * * 


	11. Ch 11

Sorry it took so long again, it's not easy when I have NO idea where this story's going. But I guess it makes it more exciting when I can change it up on you. :-)  
  
* * *  
  
Andy gave Loki a grand tour of Sanctuary as soon as they all got out of the Helix and Brennan tossed Loki a shirt to wear. She was showing him all the places Andy had wandered into since she was there. Lexa, Jesse, and Brennan didn't seem to mind. Shalimar, however, kept a very close eye on the oldest Burton. Standing on the second story loft, her brandy brown eyes preyed on the unsuspecting man. Her muscles tense, her senses attuned from a part of her that will always be part of an animal. Even though Shalimar just wanted to watch him, the hunter part of her was preparing to pounce. A new, close scent filled her nostrils as she heard soft footsteps on the stairs.  
  
"You know, it's not polite to stare, Shal," Jesse began. He observed Shalimar's muscles relaxing a bit, and heard a sigh from her mouth, even though her back was facing him.  
  
"I don't trust him, Jess. I don't think you should either," Shalimar stated. "Who knows what history he has with Lexa."  
  
"Is it any of 'our' business?" Jesse inquired.   
  
"Jesse, it's our Sanctuary, our home . . . we're not going to let just 'anyone' come in here, especially when he's Lexa's boyfriend," Shalimar knew the second the words flew out of her mouth, she wished she could grab them back up again.   
  
Jesse just smiled, which surprised Shalimar. "No, he's not . . . and if Lexa trusts him, then why shouldn't we?"   
  
Shalimar pursed her lips and looked to the sky. "Oh I dunno," she said sarcastically.  
  
"Do I have to do this with you too?" Jesse sighed. "Lexa is part of the team and we should trust her judgment."  
  
"I will when she stops keeping secrets from us," Shalimar said as she walked toward the stairs, before she descended toward them, she turned back toward Jesse's back. "She might be a part of the team, Jess, but she's not a part of our family." She walked down the stairs and Jesse just sighed.  
  
'Why do I always get caught in the middle?' Jesse asked himself. 'Why am I the one that always defends Lexa?'   
  
"Hey, Jess!" Brennan called from the ground floor. Jesse leaned over the railing, Brennan was holding a basketball with Loki at his side, both of them were looking up at him. "Wanna shoot some hoops with us?"   
  
Jesse grinned, all his worries and thoughts were washed away as he clambered down the stairs toward his friend and the stranger. They all walked to the basketball hoop together while Shalimar and Andy watched with wonder. Andy didn't care that Loki was making friends with the two men that she admired after only a night, but she was wondering how he could play when their "Sanctuary" was only for a short period of time and beyond the mountain was a company that wanted them as guinea pigs.   
  
Lexa walked from the rec. room to where Andy was watching. "What're you looking at?"  
  
Andy didn't seem surprised at Lexa's intrusion. "Them," she moved her chin toward the three men. "Do you think we'll ever be safe, outside?" she inquired, turned toward her.  
  
Lexa looked at Loki. "I don't know, I'm not going to lie to you . . . every company wants to make a leap in science. Adam Kane, have you heard of him?" she asked.  
  
Andy's eyebrow creased. "The geneticist guy, that created us--created Mutants?" she asked, wondering if she's right.  
  
"Yeah . . . " Lexa wanted to know how she knew that but went on. "Even though he's caused all this destruction in the balance of mankind, taking down Mason Eckhart, and all these bad people: he never really learned his lesson that he shouldn't have manipulated the genetic code of people."  
  
Andy nodded. "So we'll be running for the rest of our lives?" Andy asked, trying to clarify Lexa's answer.  
  
"I didn't say that . . . you and your brother are very strong mutants, and you'll be able to take care of yourselves. But to make sure that you won't be running . . . " Lexa took a step toward the direction of her bedroom. "I'm going to talk to the Dominion to make sure." Lexa walked away, leaving Andy to watch the basketball game.  
  
Meanwhile, Shalimar was having her own speculating to do. Not watching the basketball game, but watching the stranger. Shalimar had a better look at him now, studying his movement and body language. Loki Burton was a tall man, not the Brennan towering type but he was tall enough to be threatening when he wanted to be. He was built and muscular, with protruding biceps and hard abs from the tight muscle shirt that Brennan had given him. His eyes were sapphire, and at that moment they were focused and determined. Shalimar saw no secrets or hidden agendas, unlike the first time she had looked into Lexa's eyes. Using her sense of smell, Shalimar picked up on sweat and blood. Only a hint of blood that was so small that Shalimar only got a little scent. 'Probably from those scientists', Shalimar excused. Loki had strong features in his face with high cheekbones and a nose that Brad Pitt would have been after. Tiny hairs that Shalimar zoomed in on, were sprouting from his face. 'Five o'clock shadow', Shalimar observed. His dark brown hair was scruffy and spiky in some parts that were completely natural, since Shalimar didn't smell any products. Which she doubted he had since he was in prison.   
  
Shalimar turned away, in disgust that she was taken up in watching him that way. "Don't worry, Cowboy, once we get this straightened out: your ass will be back in Prison, "she said out loud.  
  
Lexa walked in from her bedroom, taking a different route to avoid a discussion with Andy after this particular talk with the Dominion. Hearing what Shalimar had thought out loud, "don't be so sure of that, 'kitty'. As if Andy will ever allow it."  
  
Shalimar didn't seem too surprised that she was there, only about what she said, so she changed the subject because she knew that Andy never would. "D'you talk to the Dominion."  
  
Lexa smiled a little, recognizing she had won. "Yes . . . they don't know, or won't say, anything relating to Phoenix's missing computers. However, they were disappointed in our failure."  
  
"Never the optimists, are they?" Shalimar inquired.  
  
Lexa shook her head. "I think we're going to have to get Jess in this now . . . it's going to take a while, going through dummy corporations. No doubt Phoenix has another lab out there."  
  
Shalimar frowned. "Well, if you want to interrupt their game . . . " 


	12. Ch 12

A/N: Sorry it took so long, but I rewrote this chapter twice and then had it edited again. This is the last Chapter, I hope you enjoy. It's pretty long.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
* * *  
  
Brennan, Jesse, and especially Loki were disappointed when the two women broke up their game. Jesse dragged his feet to the computers as Loki dropped the ball on the ground and followed them. Andy was left standing, sensing that it was a "grown-up" moment. She made sure they were gone before she walked in front of the basketball hoop and grabbed the ball from the floor and started to bounce it a little.  
  
Jesse clicked open the file for Phoenix. "Ah, let's try the affiliates ..." he stated. "Mmm, encrypted," he discovered. "Sounds conspicuous."  
  
"Need some time?" Loki inquired.  
  
"A lot ... it's pretty difficult," Jesse replied as he clicked and clacked his way on the computer.  
  
Loki observed Jesse's work over his shoulder. "Um, might wanna try a number ..." Loki mentioned. "Phoenix in numbers, it might do the trick."  
  
Jesse frowned. "Wouldn't hurt to try ..." after a few seconds Jesse grinned. "Smart guy, aren't you?"  
  
Loki blushed a little at Lexa as she turned to him in surprise. "How'd you know that?"  
  
"Just a guess."  
  
Jesse took their attention away. "There's only one affiliate ... Genomex."  
  
Loki frowned. "I could've told you that, Jess."  
  
"Why didn't you?" Jesse turned around.  
  
Loki shrugged. "Didn't ask. Lemme get Andy." He backed away and then turned and left.  
  
Shalimar sighed. "Stupid us ..." she stated.  
  
Loki walked to the basketball hoop where he had seen Andy watching them, then he stopped. Andy was standing in the center with the basketball, she shot and 'swish' it fell into the basket. It bounced to her, and she was about to toss it when Loki took a step forward.  
  
"You're more like me than I thought," he stated.  
  
Andy jumped and the basketball flew out of her hands right to the ceiling. More embarrassed than surprised, she turned to Loki. "Oops."  
  
The basketball flew to the ceiling and was wedged in between two pipes. Andy and Loki looked up. "See? I can't control my powers the way you can, Loki. Could you get that for me?"  
  
Lexa, Brennan, Shalimar, and Jesse rushed over after they heard the noise and spotted the basketball. Andy's finger shot upward, pointing to Loki. "His fault."  
  
"Oh no it wasn't!" Loki argued. "It was so her!"  
  
"Well, somebody get it down ... that's the only one we have," Brennan commanded.  
  
Loki nodded and sighed, he began to raise in the air, gradually decreasing his weight until he felt like a helium balloon left out for a day. He wiggled the basketball free and then dropped it to Brennan. "There, you're a very sad man, Brennan." Jesse laughed and then walked back to the computers, shaking his head at Brennan.  
  
"What?" he called back. Lexa waited until Andy and Shalimar disappeared back to the computers and Loki was back on the ground.  
  
"What?" he echoed, Lexa placed her hands on her hips. "What, Lex?"  
  
Lexa frowned and then raised her eyebrows. "I was just wondering how I didn't know you were gravitative."  
  
"Ah ... well, I like my Chromatic abilities better, Lexa," he paused. "Of course, I think the Gravitative part of me would've helped us in that sticky situation we got into that one time, remember?" He grinned wolfishly with a glint in his eye.  
  
Lexa couldn't help but blush and smile, then she lost them both and thumped him in the arm. "Yeah! Where the hell was that levitating power then, huh?"  
  
Loki blushed and then walked past her. "I didn't have it then," he muttered. Lexa followed him to the computers, they all were waiting for them.  
  
* * *  
  
Screams of pain and laughter carried through all the halls of the "temporary" offices of Phoenix. Reese crossed his arms firmly, looking down below the large window to the pile of his agents' bodies. "Incompetent," he mainly said as the scientists buzzed around them, as if stepping over a mess.  
  
A new agent walked inside. "Sir?" he shakily echoed.  
  
Reese turned around. "Report?"  
  
"Both the Burtons are gone, along with the mutants helping them," he answered.  
  
Reese sighed. "Don't worry, the partners assure us that they'll be back. It's only a matter of time," he paused. "Get your 'new' team ready. We're going to get the Burtons and the others this time. I'm going to check up on them, this old building must have a record of them somewhere."  
  
"Yes, sir," the agent paused. "I have heard that Genomex has dealt with them before."  
  
* * *  
  
"Jess, why don't we check out that old building one more time," Brennan suggested. "Since it's the only Affiliate."  
  
Shalimar shrugged. "Might as well give it a shot."  
  
Jesse smiled a little. "All right, let's go." He shuffled off into the hangar, Brennan and Shalimar walked out followed by Andy. No one wanted to argue with that girl. Loki inhaled sharply, Lexa patted his back.  
  
"What's wrong, kid? Nervous to be back home?" she teased.  
  
Loki shook his head and they walked out. 'I'm afraid to die in that place,' he mentally added.  
  
* * *  
  
Reese was walking down the hall, observing the scientists and agents walking by. All of them were antsy, they knew who was coming, Mutant X. After Reese had discovered who was helping the Burtons, he announced it to everyone to be alert. One of the Agents recognized one of them that wasn't on the Mutant X list as Lexa Pierce, a fugitive of the Genetic Security Agency. The ironic part was, Loki Burton was a fugitive as well. Loki left shortly after Lexa did and the profile read that Pierce and Burton had a history of being close in the days that they were in the GSA. Just as the partners had foretold, the alarms went off and the scientists picked up speed into the safe rooms while the Agents stood at ready.  
  
"Hold your ground, gentlemen," Reese called as he backed into the office. He was going to wait until the Agents had them before he revealed himself, a coward as someone called him. He referred to himself as smart.  
  
* * *  
  
Brennan tried not to trip the alarm system but he accidentally did it anyway, earning a scornful look from Lexa as they approached the all too familiar landing. Lexa and Loki had been there as agents while the others had always been there as Mutant X team members. Each had different thoughts about the old Genomex building. Loki didn't come from an easy up-bringing and he saw that even though they had done evil things, Genomex was a reflection of a better time in his life. Hanging around his best friend and doing was he did best, steal. Lexa felt the exact opposite, though she had good times with her best friend, all she could dwell on was the day she found out her brother had escaped and that day when Eckhart implanted her with the silver plates in her neck. The happiest she had been was when she found out that Loki had left as well.  
  
'Did Loki have those silver plates too?' she now wondered. Glancing toward him, she saw the painful looking silver with the red, irritated skin around it. Feeling a pang of guilt, she nearly bumped into Jesse.  
  
Loki grabbed Andy by the shoulders and put his mouth near her ear. "If you see any Suits, I want you to run, OK?" he asked. Andy nodded and Loki let her walk next to Shalimar and Brennan.  
  
As if on cue, about twenty Suits ran from all sides of the landing and surrounded them. Holding large guns, looking almost exactly the same. "Damn," Loki let out.  
  
Shalimar grabbed Andy and put her between her and Brennan. "So much for your idea, Loki," Shalimar responded. 'How do I fight without leaving Andy to these Suits?' she asked herself.  
  
Loki answered her question by grabbing Andy. He calculated about ten feet between them and the Suits. "I'll get Andy out," he said shortly. He lifted Andy a few inches above the ground, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Loki began to run and then he jumped high and went right over the Suits.  
  
"Hand to hand combat only, kiddies," Lexa reminded.  
  
"The only thing I got," Jesse reminded back, even though he massed and smashed one Suit in the face, he whirled around and thrust his fist in another's face. One Suit was brave, he rushed at Jesse with his arms extended like a tackling football player. At the last second, Jesse phased and the man went straight through his separated molecules into a railing, knocking the air out of him.  
  
Shalimar, also a physical fighter, was having just as much luck as Jesse. Shalimar grabbed on man by the shoulders and threw him into another with her feral strength, they all fell back onto an unconscious agent.  
  
Lexa was a skilled fighter but she realized she relied more on her lasers than she thought, but she could deal with it. Lexa thrust her fist into one's jaw and kicked him in his manhood with her opposite foot, then she turned around and ran into a Suit's fist aimed at her. Lexa was caught off guard and she stumbled backwards, the Suit advanced, he pulled his fist back.  
  
Jesse saw him coming, he stepped in front of Lexa and massed. His fist collided with Jesse's chin, but the only pain Jesse felt was his lungs thirsting for air. Jesse exhaled and he turned his density back to normal. The agent screamed as his knuckles broke, Jesse hit him, knocking him out.  
  
Jesse turned back to Lexa. "You OK?"  
  
Lexa touched her chin and winced. "Just peachy, Jess, how about you?" she answered sarcastically. Suddenly, she moved and thrust her fist into an agent who was about to hit Jesse.  
  
Jesse saw him crumple to the ground, he turned back to her. "Thanks."  
  
"Yeah, no problem," Lexa responded before they began fighting again.  
  
Brennan snapped one agent's neck and pushed him into the arms of another. Falling for the bait, the other agent caught the dead one, taking this moment, Brennan hit him in the face and he fell.  
  
* * *  
  
Loki put an arm around Andy, they were watching from the corner. Andy wanted to help, as did Loki, but Loki's main objective was to keep Andy safe. Andy was the one that the Suits and Reese wanted, not Mutant X or Loki.  
  
Reese saw Andy's arm and he grabbed it, Andy let out a surprise yelp as Reese held the cold metal gun to her temple. Loki turned around. "Back up, Burton. Or I'll blow her to pieces." Loki held up his hands in surrender and backed up, carefully stepping over the bodies so if he tripped he wouldn't surprise Reese into pulling the trigger.  
  
"Stop!" Reese shouted to his agents. "Leave them alone to see what they've done!" he finished.  
  
The agents did as they were told and backed off, Lexa hit one more and then turned to see Reese holding a gun to Andy's head.  
  
Shalimar took a step and Reese saw it, he pressed the gun closer. "Stop ... or she's dead."  
  
Loki crossed his arms. "Let her go, Reese. You've bitten off more than you can chew."  
  
"I'll shoot, I mean it, Burton. All I need is a CC of this girl's blood and Project Gravity will be good enough for the partners," Reese warned. Loki took a step forward. "I mean it, I'll shoot."  
  
"So will I," he replied. "You know what I can do, Reese. Remember?"  
  
Andy took this time to get her hands into position, just like Loki had taught her. "You better listen to him, Mr. Reese. He has a fast shot."  
  
Lexa decided to play the game. "And Loki's not half as fast as I am."  
  
Reese swallowed hard. "Don't mess with me, you freaks. You might shoot lasers, but all I have to do is pull the trigger."  
  
"Andy ... why don't you show Mr. Reese what I can do?" Loki mentioned.  
  
Andy moved quickly, she grabbed Reese's arm and pulled it away from her head. Reese pulled the trigger and it zoomed past her into the wall, she held onto his arm and pulled it behind his back while she stood behind him.  
  
Loki shot a laser at his chest when he was sure that Andy was behind him. "Bullseye!" he shouted in victory. He turned to the Agents. "Now, if you had an ounce of sense in ya, boys. You'd head for the hills." The Agents didn't need to be told twice, they all raced out of there.  
  
Andy dropped Reese and stepped over him, Loki gave her a high five. "All right, Andy!"  
  
Lexa grinned and patted her on the back. "Nice moves, kid."  
  
"More like nice movies, I swear I saw that in one," Jesse said, Andy grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Let's get to those computers then, Ace," Lexa said to Jesse. "Got the disc?"  
  
Jesse nodded and they walked out. Loki nudged Andy with his hip. "You've been spending way too much time with these guys, girl."  
  
* * *  
  
Loki and Andy stood at the hangar door, Andy was holding her stuff and Loki was a little nervous. He didn't know if Mutant X were shipping him back to prison or would he get to stay with Andy.  
  
Jesse walked from the computers with Lexa beside him, Jesse was carrying something. He looked unsure. He handed Loki a white card. "Your new ID, had to change your name to Alex Burton, if you don't mind."  
  
"Alex? But that's too much like Lexa!" he complained but he smiled none the less.  
  
Jesse then handed Andy a white card. "Learners permit, Shal's idea. Your name is Andrea. Can't change it too much, right?"  
  
Andy grinned. "Can deal with that, thanks, Shal." Shalimar reached for a hug and Andy wrapped her arms around her.  
  
"You don't let that brother of yours make you do anything like steal a car," she whispered.  
  
Andy laughed. "Yeah, right." Andy stepped back.  
  
Jesse put his hands in his pockets. "Now, Alex Burton, you solemnly swear NOT to do anything illegal from this day forward?"  
  
Loki grinned. "How could you even suggest such a thing, Mr. Jesse? Anyway, Ms. Andrea Burton is too much of handful."  
  
Andy raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, Jess. I'll keep him inline."  
  
"Your new location is L.A. if you don't mind," Lexa went on.  
  
Loki raised his eyebrows once. "Mmm, good idea, Lex." He reached and pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. Lexa embraced the hug and then she took a step away.  
  
Loki nodded to the others. "Thanks for the hospitality."  
  
Andy said goodbye, giving a hug to all of them. "Bye."  
  
Brennan decided to give them a ride to a chartered bus station because Andy's acrophobia had kicked in. When he came back, they all stood around, wondering what they should do.  
  
An idea struck Jesse. "What time is it?"  
  
Brennan checked his watch. "Uh-Seven thirty."  
  
Jesse turned to Lexa and raised his eyebrows. Lexa hopped off the counter she was sitting on. "We're leaving, see you guys later."  
  
Jesse nodded and grinned and they hurried out.  
  
Brennan and Shalimar looked at each other.  
  
* * * The End * * * 


	13. The Missing Chapter

**A/N** Since I've gotten SO many reviews on how I missed the ending, I decided to put in Gravity: The Missing Chapter for you guys. It's just Lexa and Jesse's date, or part of it, but I believe you JL shippers will like it, hopefully.

* * *

Gravity the Missing Chapter  
  
Lexa and Jesse sa at a round table in th fancy bar 1209. Lights were placed beneath the plexiglass tabletops to illuminate the table's space.  
  
"Where'd you find this place?" Lexa inquired after a few moments of awkward silence between them. Lexa didn't know why it was so awkward, usually, they had so much to talk about at home.  
  
Jesse pointed to the bartender. "See him?" Lexa nodded. "New mutant I know, he opened this place a little while I ago and he called me."  
  
"Oh," Lexa said with a flicker of a smile playing on her lips and a glint in her eye. "Friends in high places, huh? Mob connections, maybe?" she teased.  
  
Jesse nodded firmly, playing along. "Oh yeah, I'm all kinds of dangerous."  
  
Lexa laughed. "Right," she said sarcastically.  
  
Jesse took a drink from his glass. "Today was fun."  
  
Lexa's eyebrows raised. "Fun? What alternate universe have you been living in?" Lexa asked.  
  
"No," he shook his head. "No, to actually have a look at who you were before you joined Mutant X ... to see you through someone else's eyes."  
  
Lexa took a sip of her wine. "Trust me, you didn't miss much, Jesse. Believe it or not, I was kind of a bitch back in those days."  
  
"You're right, I don't believe it," Jesse answered with a small smile.  
  
They smiled at each other for a second before Lexa spoke. "You know, when we're away from Sanctuary, away from Mutant X like this .. it's kind of hard to find things to talk about," she confided.  
  
Jesse passed an incredulous look at Lexa. "Lexa Pierce lost for words?"  
  
"No, I'm serious ... I guess we don't know each other as well as I would've thought," Lexa responded.  
  
"What're you talking about? Of course I know you ... I know you're extremely competitive, can sometimes be cocky and stubborn, I know that you like to be the boss," he started. Lexa looked away and took another drink, _not really making me feel better, Jesse_ she thought.  
  
"I know you have a fettish for Jell-O snacks and Chinese food," Jesse went on, this made Lexa blush. "I know that when you're angry or sad ... your eyes, they get a little bit more blue," Lexa looked back at him and her eyebrows furrowed a little. "And I know that when the light hits you exactly right, your smile looks even brighter."  
  
Jesse touched her cheek gently to prove it and Lexa bit her lower lip. "I know when I give you a compliment, I can see the dimples in both your cheeks," Lexa said, as if on cue, Jesse smiled, revealing his dimples. Lexa grinned and connected her eyes to Jesse's. His ice blue eyes got more intense as his hand swept from her cheek to her chin, his thumb touching her lower lip.   
  
Lexa felt daring as she usually did when her and Jesse were alone. "I know that when I kiss you, you blush," she finished.  
  
Jesse smiled, Lexa leaned forward and their lips met in a kiss, when Lexa pulled away she inhaled. "Okay, I know you," she gave in.  
  
Jesse laughed. "I told you ... ready for dinner?"  
  
Lexa paused, thinking back to what had happened between them in the past two minutes. "I could eat."  
  
Jesse got out his chair and waited for Lexa. "Oh, and by the way, you blushed too."

* * *

The End ... really

A/N sorry it's so short but good stories aren't measured in length :-)

Impulse


End file.
